5 Key Things You Should Know About E-Commerce

 If you’re among the 79% of Americans who love online shopping, you may have considered beginning an e-commerce shop of your own. This is an awesome idea if you want to get into sales and have a product that you’re passionate about.

However, before you can set up shop, it’s important that you know a few things about getting into online sales. Here, we’re going to talk about some e-commerce 101 survival tips so that you can build a name for yourself. Read on to ensure that your new shop kicks off!

1. You Can Sell Pretty Much Anything

The first great thing about e-commerce is that the sky’s the limit when it comes to sales. Lots of people go into online sales because they have a passion that they’re proud of and want to share with the world. These people may sell amigurumi dolls, artwork, handmade jewelry, custom water bottles, or… well, anything else.

If you have a hobby that you’ve considered might make you a killing, trying to sell it online is an awesome idea. You can set up a shop on Etsy, see how it does, and move forward from there into setting up a custom e-commerce site.

If you have a sales background and are just hyped about starting your own business, buying wholesale products for sale is another option. You can get VoIP phone systems and become a provider or you can buy wholesale apparel and sell it via a fashion shop. Just think of something that interests you and has an interested audience.

2. It’s Not That Different From Brick-and-Mortar Retail

While lots of people think of e-commerce as a completely different alternative to traditional retail, they’re really just two sides of the same coin. You have a storefront at a brick-and-mortar venue that displays your products, sure, but an e-commerce shop has pretty much the same thing on their website. You display products and give people a first impression of your business either way.

You also need to perform similar behind-the-scenes market research regardless of the type of business you own. Learning about your customers and developing a buyer persona is critical.

E-commerce shop owners will then use exactly the same digital marketing tools as their counterparts to reach out to their audience. These channels might include social media, pay-per-click ads, and SEO campaigns. There really isn’t much a difference in how you reach your audience.

3. Visual Store Content = Higher Sales

When people go into a brick-and-mortar store, they usually spend some time browsing the shelves and finding products that are useful to them. This translates well to online shopping since they can go through your catalog easily.

Unfortunately, people can’t pick up items online and examine them to make sure that they’ll work for their needs. That’s where visual content comes into play.

Comprehensive, well-lit product photos are a must for any store. Be sure to hire a professional to capture images from multiple angles. Enable close-ups so people can take a look at all aspects of a product before buying them.

Video content is also ideal here. 73% of consumers are more likely to buy something after seeing a video of or about the product. Moving images are more engaging in addition to giving you the ability to show off more angles and functions of a product.

4. E-Commerce Doesn’t Always Mean Tangible Products

Many successful e-commerce shops sell handmade or wholesale items, but that doesn’t mean that all of them do. E-commerce simply refers to a shop that makes sales online rather than in stores. What you sell is up to you.

This means that some people sell intangible yet important products to their clientele. Most of these are web-based services like domain names, SIP trunks, and document management software. These businesses, called ‘software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, operate online. They therefore fall under the e-commerce umbrella.

If you’re a tech junkie and want to work with those who need technology, this is a great way to incorporate your interests into your online business. Remember that e-commerce shops are selling products rather than services. If you’re trying to sell yourself or something that you can do for them, that’s freelancing.

5. You Have Tons of Platform Options

While e-commerce may sound like one single thing, the possibilities are truly limitless. You have a lot of options as to what platform to use when setting up your site. Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento are some of the most popular and easy to use, so consider using one of them.

In fact, consider using all of them.

According to ecommerce management professionals, sellers that use 3+ sales channels make 143% more money than those that only use one. The only issue is that this becomes a challenge to keep track of. Luckily, these same management experts can help to integrate your platforms and track sales across the board.

When you use multiple high-level platforms, you’ll have a much easier time figuring out which products are making you the most money. You also can look at what marketing channels have the highest ROI. This knowledge will help you to figure out some ways that you can help your business to succeed in the future.

Step Up Your E-Commerce Game

While there are tons of factors that go into making a business successful, all of them begin with a better understanding of your market. As an e-commerce business, it’s critical that you continue to learn about the ways that you can build your startup from the ground up.

Now that you know some of the top e-commerce facts for budding online businesses, it’s time to get more information on how to make your startup succeed. Check out the ‘tech’ tab on our home page to learn more about web design, online marketing, and more.